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Confident Crestwood never once flinched

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There once was a time not long ago when Crestwood would let these kind of games snowball the wrong way.

Down 13-0 at Hazleton Area and the Cougars in excellent field position to take a three-touchdown lead midway through the second quarter on Friday night, the rebuilding Comets could have folded and been content to take a 4-2 record into next week's non-conference contest at Pocono Mountain West.

They very easily could have said, ''Well, tonight just isn't our night,'' after fumbling the ball away in the end zone in the opening quarter and later squandering first-and-goal from the Hazleton Area 4 shortly before halftime.

Instead, these Comets again showed the crowd at Harman-Geist Memorial Fiel the moxie that has made them one of the 2012 season's biggest surprises by scoring 33 unanswered points - 20 in the final quiarter - in a dominating 33-13 victory.

"We've turned this program around completely,'' said senior standout wide receiver Kota Kishel, who had four receptions for 111 yards, including the Comets' first two touchdowns on catch-and-runs covering 53 and 24 yards, respectively. He also had a clutch 22-yard grab to set up his second score and his 14-yard run on a reverse on third-and-16 led

to a manageable fourth-down conversion and still another Crestwood score.

"We're never in any of those 1980s flashbacks you see on TV because we just didn't have a good team every year back then,'' Kishel said. "That era is done with. It's all about winning now.''

The Comets - without 17 seniors who were instrumental in Crestwood's District 2 Class AAA playoff team last year - have won each and every game since a 48-21 loss to Berwick in Week 1.

It hasn't been easy, either, with a 21-20 nail-biter over North Pocono, a 14-12 victory over Pittston Area and a 27-20 triumph over Tunkhannock part of their 5-1 record.

Being able to survive such close encounters are one indication just how far the Comets have come under head coach Greg Myers and his staff.

Being able to punish former nemesis Hazleton Area on the line of scrimmage with the straight-ahead rushing attack that the Comets used in the second half is still another indication about their confidence.

When asked afterward if they were surprised by how well the team is playing more than halfway through the season, running backs Evan Callaghan and Frank Aigeldinger simultaneously shrugged their shoulders before praising their offensive linemen.

"Not at all,'' Callaghan said with a face as direct as his running style. "We know what we have.''

What Crestwood has is a team that is very much a part of the District 2 Class 3A playoff picture. The Comets have a proven playmaker in Kishel, a sophomore quarterback in Jay Popson who has shown improvement with each passing week, a couple of backs who aren't afraid to absorb punishment while doling out of some of their own on defenders, linemen who play physically on both sides of the ball and an aggressive, swarming defense.

The Comets also have a belief - borne in close-but-no-cigar losses in recent years, fire-hardened in a magical 2011 season that included wins over Berwick, Hazleton Area and Dallas and reinforced through six games this season - that they will have more points than their opponent by game's end.

And that they won't quit playing until then.

(Continued from B2)

to a manageable fourth-down conversion and still another Crestwood score.

"We're never in any of those 1980s flashbacks you see on TV because we just didn't have a good team every year back then,'' Kishel said. "That era is done with. It's all about winning now.''

The Comets - without 17 seniors who were instrumental in Crestwood's District 2 Class AAA playoff team last year - have won each and every game since a 48-21 loss to Berwick in Week 1.

It hasn't been easy, either, with a 21-20 nail-biter over North Pocono, a 14-12 victory over Pittston Area and a 27-20 triumph over Tunkhannock part of their 5-1 record.

Being able to survive such close encounters are one indication just how far the Comets have come under head coach Greg Myers and his staff.

Being able to punish former nemesis Hazleton Area on the line of scrimmage with the straight-ahead rushing attack that the Comets used in the second half is still another indication about their confidence.

When asked afterward if they were surprised by how well the team is playing more than halfway through the season, running backs Evan Callaghan and Frank Aigeldinger simultaneously shrugged their shoulders before praising their offensive linemen.

"Not at all,'' Callaghan said with a face as direct as his running style. "We know what we have.''

What Crestwood has is a team that is very much a part of the District 2 Class 3A playoff picture. The Comets have a proven playmaker in Kishel, a sophomore quarterback in Jay Popson who has shown improvement with each passing week, a couple of backs who aren't afraid to absorb punishment while doling out of some of their own on defenders, linemen who play physically on both sides of the ball and an aggressive, swarming defense.

The Comets also have a belief - borne in close-but-no-cigar losses in recent years, fire-hardened in a magical 2011 season that included wins over Berwick, Hazleton Area and Dallas and reinforced through six games this season - that they will have more points than their opponent by game's end.

And that they won't quit playing until then.

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